Gen Z, please talk to me: what management works and what does not?
I am an Xer who manages a small but crucial team at my workplace (in an EU country). I had a lady resign last week, and I have another who may be about to resign or I may have to let go due to low engagement. They are both Gen Z. Today it hit me: the five years I've been managing this department, the only people I've lost have been from Gen Z. Clearly I do not know how to manage Gen Z so that they are happy working here. What can I do? I want them to be as happy as my Millennial team members. One detail that might matter is that my team is spread over three European cities.
Happy to provide any clarification if anyone wants it.
Edit. Thanks for all the answers even if a few of them are difficult to hear (and a few were oddly angry?) This has been very helpful for me, much more so than it probably would have been at the Old Place.
Also the second lady I mentioned who might quit or I might have to let go? She quit the day after I posted this giving a week's notice yesterday. My team is fully supportive, but it's going to be a rough couple of months.
Why are you pandering to a generation that has proven to be lazy and unreliable? Why not focus on better candidates to begin with and target older employees? Seems like Zoomers are getting a disproportionate amount of focus while at the same time are rather sub par when it comes to productivity.
And folks can downvote all they want, but that is just more proof that I am right.
Complaining about younger generations is an age old pattern:
" They [Young People] have exalted notions, because they have not been humbled by life or learned its necessary limitations; moreover, their hopeful disposition makes them think themselves equal to great things -- and that means having exalted notions. They would always rather do noble deeds than useful ones: Their lives are regulated more by moral feeling than by reasoning -- all their mistakes are in the direction of doing things excessively and vehemently. They overdo everything -- they love too much, hate too much, and the same with everything else."
-Aristotle, 4th century BC
I'd say the focus is because they're the future workforce, whatever that may entail
We are doomed.
If success means slaving away for a company that exploits your labour then good, i welcome the doom.
I'll bite. How do downvotes prove you are right in any way?
Yeah that's always a stupid thing to say but it literally doesn't even make any sense here at all lmao
lmao
Ok boomer
One offensive ageist comment deserves another, right?
Yea
You're getting downvoted and rightfully so, but you have accidentally made a good point. Believe me, as an older Xer I am very aware of the age issue and look at all CVs (resumes) no matter what the date on the college graduation says and have interviewed people even older than I am.
Calling an entire generation lazy and unreliable isn't a helpful contribution to the community. I'm going to leave this comment up, but please be aware that it was a line ball whether to remove. Please be conscious of Rule 1.